This invention relates to coupling assemblies and, more particularly, to a microminiature coupling assembly designed to connect an optical fiber to an optical emitter or detector.
Lightwave communication systems including optical fibers are being utilized increasingly in a variety of applications of practical importance. To achieve integration of optical and electronic processing in such systems, some form of transducer is typically employed at each fiber end to effect a transformation between optical and electrical signal representations. Thus, at one end of each fiber in such a system, an electrical-to-optical signal transducer including a conventional light emitter is utilized to launch optical signals onto the fiber and, at the other end, an optical-to-electrical signal transducer comprising a standard photodetector is employed to convert optical signals to their electrical counterparts.
The desirability of providing inexpensive, compact and efficient assemblies for coupling a transducer to the end of a fiber has long been apparent. Moreover, it has been apparent that such assemblies should be structurally compatible with laterally extending planar-type systems that integrate optical and electronic elements in microminiature form. But heretofore no completely satisfactory coupling assembly having these and other desired attributes has been available. Accordingly, workers skilled in the art have devoted considerable efforts directed at trying to improve the design of such coupling assemblies. It was recognized that these efforts, if successful, had the potential for significantly improving the cost and performance of communication systems that include optical and electronic elements.